Conveyor with integrated dust collector system

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present disclosure a system for capturing proppant dust particles when positioned at a fracking operation site including a proppant delivery assembly to receive one or more containers having proppant stored therein. The system dispenses the proppant from the one or more containers and delivers the proppant to other fracking operation equipment. Moreover, the system includes a dust collection assembly positioned proximate and associated with the proppant delivery assembly to capture dust particles released by movement and settling of the proppant when being dispensed and delivered by the proppant delivery assembly. The dust collection assembly is positioned to direct an air flow in a flow path overlying the dust particles to capture the dust particles and move the dust particles away from the proppant thereby reducing risk of dust exposure to fracking operation site personnel.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional applicationSer. No. 15/463,201, filed Mar. 20, 2017, titled “Conveyor withIntegrated Dust Collector System,” which is a continuation of U.S.Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 15/463,063, filed Mar. 20, 2017,titled “Conveyor with Integrated Dust Collector System,” which is adivisional of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 15/398,835,filed Jan. 5, 2017, titled “Conveyor with Integrated Dust CollectorSystem,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/275,377, filed Jan. 6, 2016, titled “Conveyor with Integrated DustCollector System,” all of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to collecting dust particles. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods tocollect dust particles formed during the movement of proppant.

Description of Related Art

Hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” has been used for decades tostimulate production from conventional oil and gas wells. In recentyears, the use of fracking has increased due to the development of newdrilling technology such as horizontal drilling and multi-stagefracking. Such techniques reach previously-unavailable deposits ofnatural gas and oil. Fracking generally includes pumping fluid into awellbore at high pressure. Inside the wellbore, the fluid is forced intothe formation being produced. When the fluid enters the formation, itfractures, or creates fissures, in the formation. Water, as well asother fluids, and some solid proppants, are then pumped into thefissures to stimulate the release of oil and gas from the formation.

By far the dominant proppant is silica sand, made up of ancientweathered quartz, the most common mineral in the Earth's continentalcrust. Unlike common sand, which often feels gritty when rubbed betweenyour fingers, sand used as a proppant tends to roll to the touch as aresult of its round, spherical shape and tightly-graded particledistribution. Sand quality is a function of both deposit and processing.Grain size is critical, as any given proppant should reliably fallwithin certain mesh ranges, subject to downhole conditions andcompletion design. Generally, coarser proppant allows a higher capacitydue to the larger pore spaces between grains. This type of proppant,however, may break down or crush more readily under stress due to therelatively fewer grain-to-grain contact points to bear the stress oftenincurred in deep oil- and gas-bearing formations.

During fracking operations, workers may load fracking proppant intoblending hoppers to mix the fracking proppant with fluids (e.g., water,specialty fracking chemicals, etc.) before injection into the wellbore.The movement and loading of the fracking proppant may produce dustparticles which may be inhaled by operations personnel or sucked intomechanical equipment. Inhalation by personnel may negatively impacthealth. Moreover, mechanical equipment may be damaged by the dustparticles. For example, the particles may clog filters and reduce airflow to the equipment. Accordingly, it is now recognized that it isdesirable to reduce the presence of dust particles near locations havingfracking proppant.

SUMMARY

Applicants recognized the problems noted above herein and conceived anddeveloped embodiments of systems and methods, according to the presentinvention, to position proppant containers onto racks, holders,conveyors, or the like.

In an embodiment a system for capturing proppant dust particles whenpositioned at a fracking operation site includes a proppant deliveryassembly to receive one or more containers having proppant storedtherein. The system dispenses the proppant from the one or morecontainers and delivers the proppant to other fracking operationequipment. Moreover, the system includes a dust collection assemblypositioned proximate and associated with the proppant delivery assemblyto capture dust particles released by movement and settling of theproppant when being dispensed and delivered by the proppant deliveryassembly. The dust collection assembly is positioned to direct an airflow in a flow path overlying the dust particles to capture the dustparticles and move the dust particles away from the proppant therebyreducing risk of dust exposure to fracking operation site personnel.

In another embodiment a system for capturing proppant dust particleswhen positioned at a fracking operation site includes a proppantdelivery assembly supporting one or more contains having proppant storedtherein. The one or more containers are arranged to dispense proppant toa chute that directs the dispensed proppant to a desired location. Thesystem also includes a dust collection assembly positioned proximate andat least partially coupled to the proppant delivery system to capturedust particles released by movement and settling of the proppant whenbeing dispensed and directed to the desired location. Moreover, the dustcollection assembly is positioned to draw a volume of air containingdust particles proximate the desired location away from the desiredlocation to reduce the risk of dust exposure to personnel near thedesired location.

In a further embodiment, a method of capturing proppant dust particleswhen positioned at a fracking operation site includes deliveringproppant stored in one or more containers to fracking operationequipment via a proppant delivery assembly. The method also includescapturing proppant dust particles formed by the movement and settling ofthe proppant at the fracking operation equipment via an air flowdirected in a flow path overlying the dust particles. The method furtherincludes removing the proppant dust particles from the frackingoperation equipment by directing the air flow away from the frackingoperation equipment.

In another embodiment, a catch box is arranged proximate a lower surfaceof a proppant mover to catch proppant and dust particles as the proppantis transferred from the proppant mover to a desired location. The catchbox includes an inlet positioned below the proppant mover to catchresidual proppant and dust particles after the proppant mover hasdeposited proppant into a chute that directs the proppant to the desiredlocation. The catch box also includes an interior volume to store theresidual proppant and dust. Moreover, the catch box includes an outlethaving a conduit connection to enable removal of the residual proppantand dust particles via suction at the outlet.

In a further embodiment, a hood assembly to direct a vacuum air flowthat removes a volume of air containing proppant dust particles after aproppant has been transported to a desired location from a flow pathincludes a first hood section that substantially surrounds and receivesan outlet of a chute that directs the proppant to the desired location.The first hood section includes at least one dust receptacle extendingthrough a body of the first hood section to enable a volume of air toexit the first hood section. The hood assembly also includes a secondhood section positioned adjacent the first hood section and comprisingat least one dust receptacle to receive the volume of air. Additionally,the hood assembly includes a third hood section positioned adjacent thefirst hood section and opposite the second hood section. The third hoodsection includes at least one dust receptacle to receive the volume ofair and being substantially symmetrical to the second hood section aboutthe first hood section.

In another embodiment, a proppant delivery assembly to receive andsupport one or more containers having proppant stored therein includes acradle having a top surface to receive and support the one or morecontainers when positioned thereon. The cradle enables the one or morecontainers to dispense the proppant stored therein. The proppantdelivery assembly also includes a proppant mover positioned below thetop surface of the cradle and aligned with the one or more containers toreceive the proppant when the proppant is dispensed from the one or morecontainers. The proppant mover carries the proppant away from the one ormore containers. The proppant delivery assembly also includes adirectable chute that receives the proppant from the proppant mover anddirects the proppant to a desired location, the chute being coupled tothe cradle and movable about an axis to change the location where theproppant is dispensed.

In a further embodiment a dust collection assembly to collect and removedust particles in a volume of air, the dust particles formed by themovement and settling of proppant, includes a hood assembly positionedproximate the volume of air having the dust particles. The hood assemblydirects at least a portion of the volume of air toward one or more dustreceptacles extending through the hood assembly and defines at least aportion of the volume of air. The dust receptacles are positioned todirect at least a portion of the volume of air away from the hoodassembly. The dust collection assembly also includes a vacuum air unitfluidly coupled to the hood assembly at the one or more dustreceptacles. The vacuum air unit generates suction pressure to draw atleast a portion of the volume of air out of the hood assembly throughthe one or more dust receptacles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects, features, and advantages of the present inventionwill be further appreciated when considered with reference to thefollowing description of embodiments and accompanying drawings. Indescribing the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the appendeddrawings, specific terminology will be used for the sake of clarity.However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specificterms used, and it is to be understood that each specific term includesequivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similarpurpose.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a proppant delivery system havinga dust collection assembly according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a proppant delivery system having adust collection assembly of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of a proppant delivery system having adust collection assembly of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation view of a proppant delivery system having athe dust collection assembly of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a proppant delivery system having a thedust collection assembly of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of an embodiment of a dust collection assemblysupporting two proppant delivery systems according to another embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of a proppant delivery systempositioned to deliver proppant to a blender hopper according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a hood assembly of a dust collectionassembly of FIG. 1 positioned in association with a blender hopperaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of a hood assembly of FIG. 8 accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of a hood assembly of FIG. 8 accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a rear elevation view of a hood assembly of FIG. 8 accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of a hood assembly of FIG. 8 according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a bottom plan view of a hood assembly of FIG. 8 according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 sectional view of a hood assembly of FIG. 8, taken along line14-14 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of a hood assembly of FIG. 8, taken alongline 15-15 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of a hood assembly of FIG. 8, taken alongline 16-16 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of a conduit system coupling an air moverto the hold assembly of FIG. 8 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 18 is a top plan view of a hood assembly of FIG. 8 in a firstposition adjacent a blender hopper according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 19 is a top plan view of a hood assembly of FIG. 8 in a secondposition adjacent a blender hopper according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 20 is a top plan view of a hood assembly of FIG. 8 in a thirdposition adjacent a blender hopper;

FIG. 21 is a top plan view of a conduit system coupled to the hoodassembly of FIG. 8 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a catch box positioned along a conveyordownstream of the chute according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 23 is a front elevational view of the catch box of FIG. 23according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 24 is a side elevational view of the catch box of FIG. 23 accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of the catch box of FIG. 23, takenalong line 25-25 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 26 is a partial side elevation view of proppant being depositedinto the catch box of FIG. 23 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 27 is a partial side elevation view of an air flow and proppantmoving through the system according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of an air mover of the dust collectionassembly arranged proximate the proppant delivery system on a skidaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 29 is a side elevation view of the air mover of FIG. 29 accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 30 is a rear elevation view of the air mover of FIG. 29 accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 31 is a back elevation view of the air mover of FIG. 29 having awaste discharge assembly according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 32 is a back elevation view of the air mover of FIG. 29 having awaste discharge assembly according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of a proppant delivery system and a dustcollection assembly arranged at a well site according to an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of a container of a proppant deliverysystem being loaded onto a cradle of the proppant delivery systemaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 35 is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 34 positioned onthe cradle and aligned with an actuator of a proppant delivery systemhaving a dust collector assembly according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 36 is a partial sectional view of a container dispensing onto aconveyor of a proppant delivery system having a dust collector assemblyaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 37A-D are flow charts illustrating methods for collecting dustparticles in fracking operations according to embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 38 is a flow chart illustrating methods for collecting dustparticles and residual proppant in fracking operations according toembodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 39 is a graph illustrating a linear approximation of a range ofoperation of an air mover according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The foregoing aspects, features, and advantages of the present inventionwill be further appreciated when considered with reference to thefollowing description of embodiments and accompanying drawings. Indescribing the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the appendeddrawings, specific terminology will be used for the sake of clarity.However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specificterms used, and it is to be understood that each specific term includesequivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similarpurpose.

When introducing elements of various embodiments of the presentinvention, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended tomean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,”“including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean thatthere may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Anyexamples of operating parameters and/or environmental conditions are notexclusive of other parameters/conditions of the disclosed embodiments.Additionally, it should be understood that references to “oneembodiment”, “an embodiment”, “certain embodiments,” or “otherembodiments” of the present invention are not intended to be interpretedas excluding the existence of additional embodiments that alsoincorporate the recited features. Furthermore, reference to terms suchas “above,” “below,” “upper”, “lower”, “side”, “front,” “back,” or otherterms regarding orientation are made with reference to the illustratedembodiments and are not intended to be limiting or exclude otherorientations.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a system for capturingproppant dust particles. In certain embodiments, a dust collectionassembly is arranged proximate and at least partially coupled to aproppant delivery assembly. The proppant delivery assembly includes acradle that receives one or more containers in a side-by-sideconfiguration. The containers contain fracking proppant that isdispensed through an opening at a bottom of each respective container.For example, actuators positioned below a top surface of the cradle canengage a gate 114 covering the opening to enable the proppant to flowout of the one or more containers and onto a proppant mover. In certainembodiments, the proppant mover is an endless conveyor that carries theproppant along a length of the cradle and away from the one or morecontainers. The proppant mover directs the proppant to a chute arrangedat a distal end of the cradle. The chute includes an inclined surfacethat directs the proppant into a blender hopper. In certain embodiments,the chute is directable to enable fracking site operations personnel todirect an outlet of the chute toward a desired location.

In certain embodiments, the dust collection assembly includes a hoodassembly arranged around the outlet of the chute to capture and removedust particles generated by the movement and settling of the proppant.At least a portion of the hood assembly surrounds the outlet of thechute, thereby being positioned proximate to the location where dustparticles are likely to form. In certain embodiments, the hood assemblyincludes one or more dust receptacles that receive the dust captured bythe hood assembly. For example, the hood assembly is coupled to an airmover via conduit. That is, tubes, manifolds, and the like couple theair mover to the hood assembly to transmit a suction pressure generatedby the air mover to the hood assembly. The suction pressure draws an airflow from a flow path positioned proximate the blender hopper.Accordingly, the dust particles captured in the air flow are drawn awayfrom the blender hopper and moved toward the air mover. In certainembodiments, the suction force generated by the air mover at the hoodassembly is sufficient to capture the dust particles and also designedto reduce the likelihood of lifting the proppant out of the blenderhopper. That is, the suction force is particularly selected to minimizethe risk of removing proppant from the blender hopper. In this manner,dust particles are removed from the blender hopper to reduce the risk ofexposure to fracking operations site personnel.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an embodiment of a proppantdelivery assembly 10 and a dust collection assembly 12 positioned at awell site 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the proppant deliveryassembly 12 includes a cradle 16 that supports proppant containers 18.As shown, the containers 18 are arranged in a side-by-side configurationalong the cradle 16 and positioned proximate to fracking operationequipment, for example, a blender hopper 20. In certain embodiments, thecradle 16 includes a proppant mover 22 that directs the proppant awayfrom the containers 18 after the proppant 18 is dispensed from thecontainers 18. In embodiments where, for example, the proppant mover 22is a conveyor, the proppant travels along the cradle 16 to a chute 24that directs the proppant into the blender hopper 20. However, it shouldbe appreciated that in other embodiments the proppant mover 22 may be achute, a sloped surface, a screw auger, or the like. Furthermore, theproppant mover 22 may direct the proppant away from the containers 18without moving along the cradle 16. For example, the proppant mover 22can be a screw auger that directs the proppant to a side of the cradle16. At the blender hopper 20, the proppant can be mixed with frackingfluid (e.g., water, chemicals, etc.) for injection into a wellbore 26.

The containers 18 in the illustrated embodiment are substantiallysealed, self-contained, and modular to enable transportation and storageof the proppant while minimizing the risk of exposure of the proppantand/or dust particles formed from the proppant. Furthermore,substantially sealed containers 18 can isolate the proppant from theenvironment, thereby reducing the risk of water or contaminants frommixing with the proppant. For example, the containers 18 may bedelivered to the well site 14 filled with proppant, stacked into avertical configuration until the proppant is ready for use, and thenarranged on the cradle 16 in the illustrated side-by-side configuration.Once on the cradle 16, the proppant containers 18 may be opened suchthat the proppant flows out of a bottom of the containers 18 and ontothe proppant mover 22. As will be described below, in certainembodiments the proppant mover 22 can be an endless conveyor thatreceives the proppant on a surface and directs the proppant away fromthe containers 18. However, in other embodiments, the proppant mover 22may be a screw auger, sloped ramp, or the like to facilitate movement ofthe proppant from one location to another. In this manner, proppant canbe moved from the containers 18 to the blender hopper 20.

The dust collection assembly 12 is positioned proximate the proppantdelivery assembly 10, in the illustrated embodiment. Positioning thedust collection assembly 12 close by the proppant delivery assembly 10not only reduces the footprint of the overall system at the well site14, but also reduces the quantity of conduit connecting the dustcollection assembly 12 to the proppant delivery assembly 10. As will bedescribed in detail below, the dust collection assembly 12 includes anair mover 28 that draws a vacuum at a desired location where theproppant is being loaded into the blender hopper 20. That is, the airmover 28 generates a suction pressure proximate the blender hopper 20 toremove dust particles in a volume of air. Accordingly, the dustparticles that are formed due to the movement and settling of theproppant will be captured by an air flow generated by the air mover 28.For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the desired location is theblender hopper 20. As proppant is moved from the containers 16 to theblender hopper 20 (e.g., via the proppant mover 22), dust particles mayseparate from the proppant and enter the air. These dust particles mayinfiltrate mechanical equipment, thereby reducing reliability orincreasing maintenance intervals. Or, in certain cases, the dustparticles may be inhaled by fracking operation site personnel at thewell site 14. By utilizing the dust collection assembly 12, the dustparticles can be captured and removed from the blender hopper 20,thereby reducing the risk of exposure to both workers and equipment.

FIG. 2 is a back perspective view of the dust collection assembly 12arranged proximate the proppant delivery assembly 10. As shown, the dustcollection assembly 12 is arranged on a back side of the proppantdelivery assembly 10 to keep at least one side of the cradle 16 freefrom obstructions. In this manner, the containers 18 can be loaded andunloaded from the cradle 16 via a forklift. For example, the containers18 may be stacked at the well site 14 in a vertical configuration untilsuch time as they are ready for use. The forklift may lift thecontainers 18 from the stacked configuration and carry the containers 18to the cradle 16 for alignment and deposition on a top surface of thecradle 16 to facilitate dispensing of the proppant from the containers18. Because one side of the cradle 16 is free from obstructions, theforklift may continuously add and remove containers 18 from the cradle16, thereby enabling ongoing fracking operations as containers 18 areemptied of the proppant. In certain embodiments, the containers 18 areemptied onto the proppant mover 22 to facilitate movement of theproppant to the blender hopper 20. Moreover, the dust collectionassembly 12 may be worked on (e.g., routine maintenance, installation,optimization, etc.) while the containers 18 are positioned on the cradle16 because the dust collection assembly 12 is separated from themovement area of the forklifts by the cradle 16. In this manner, thedust collection assembly 12 may be installed and placed into commissionat the same time that the containers 18 are installed on the cradle 16,thereby improving efficiencies at the well site 14 and potentiallyreducing the duration of set up at the well site 14.

In the illustrated embodiment, the air mover 28 is positioned near arear end 30 or proximal end of the cradle 16, away from the chute 24arranged at a distal end 32 of the cradle 16. Accordingly, workers atthe well site 14 can maintain a distance from the vacuum suction,generated by the air mover 28, at the blender hopper 20 and/or chute 24when working on or near the air mover 28. As such, the risk of exposureto the dust particles is further decreased. As will be described below,the dust collection assembly 12 is designed to substantially integratewith the proppant delivery assembly to minimize the equipment'sfootprint at the well site 14 and to reduce the amount of additionalequipment utilized by the dust collection assembly 12.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of an embodiment of the dust collectionassembly 12 arranged in front of (e.g., relative to the plane of thepage) and proximate the proppant delivery assembly 10. As describedabove, the dust collection assembly 12 is arranged proximate theproppant delivery assembly 10 to remove dust particles that are producedat a desired location of proppant dispersion. Moreover, by closelypositioning the dust collection assembly 12 to the proppant deliveryassembly 10, the overall footprint may be reduced at the well site 14.In the illustrated embodiment, the containers 18 (shown in phantom forclarity) are arranged in a side-by-side configuration along a length 40of the cradle 16. The configuration of the containers 18 enables onecontainer 18 to be removed from the cradle 16 while the other containers18 are unloading proppant onto the proppant mover 22. In this manner,proppant may be continuously supplied to the blender hopper 20, evenwhen one of the containers 18 is empty and being changed out for a fullcontainer 18.

In the illustrated embodiment, the dust collection assembly 12 includesa hood assembly 42 positioned above and overlying the blender hopper 20to capture and remove dust particles formed near the blender hopper 20.The hood assembly is fluidly coupled to the air mover 28 via conduit 44.In the illustrated embodiment, the conduit 44 includes multiple tubes 46extending from the hood assembly 42 to a manifold 48 extending along thecradle length 40. For example, the tubes 46 can be formed from flexibletubing (e.g., polymer tubing, metal tubing, etc.) to enable a variety ofrouting configurations between the manifold 48 and the hood assembly 42,thereby increasing flexibility of routing to accommodate designconditions at the well site 14. Moreover, it is appreciated that themanifold 48 may be any diameter and include one or more connections toaccommodate any diameter tubes 46 based on design conditions.

The manifold 48 is coupled to each tube 46 to fluidly couple the hoodassembly 42 to the air mover 28. As a result, the vacuum force generatedby the air mover 28 forms an air flow that removes air from a flow pathoverlying the blender hopper 20 and directs the air toward the air mover28 via the conduit 44. In this manner, dust particles in the air removedby the air mover 28 may be captured at the air mover 28 for laterstorage and/or disposal. As shown, the manifold 48 is supported by thecradle 16. However, it should be appreciated that in other embodimentsthe manifold 48 may not be coupled to the cradle 16. For example, themanifold 48 may be supported by a series of pipe supports positionedbeside the cradle 16. In the illustrated embodiment, incorporating themanifold 48 into the cradle 16 further reduces the footprint of theproppant delivery assembly 10 and the dust collection assembly 12 at thewell site 14. Moreover, positioning the manifold 48 below the cradle 16enables operators to access both sides of the containers 18, therebyimproving access to the containers 18 for inspection and/or positioningon the cradle 16.

The tubes 46 extending from the manifold 48 are supported at least inpart by the chute 24. For example, the tubes 46 can be routed around andsupported by a top surface of the chute 24. Moreover, as will bedescribe below, a body of the chute 24 may include pipe supports thatprovide support to the tubes 46 coupling the hood assembly 42 to themanifold 48. In this manner, the conduit 44 of the dust collectionassembly 12 can be substantially incorporated with the proppant deliveryassembly 10 to reduce the overall footprint of the system.

As described above, the air mover 28 generates a vacuum force proximatethe blender hopper 20, in the illustrated embodiment. The vacuum forceremoves at least a portion of the air surrounding the blender hopper 20in the air flow, thereby removing the dust particles in the flow pathvia the movement and settling of proppant. In the illustratedembodiment, the air mover 28 is positioned on a skid 50 at the rear end30 of the cradle 16. The skid 50 enables the air mover 28 to be readilymoved between well sites along with the proppant delivery assembly 10,thereby reducing downtown between operations at the well sites 14. Theillustrated skid 50 also includes an engine 52 to provide power to theair mover 28. For example, the engine 52 may be a combustion engine, anelectric engine, a steam engine, or the like to supply power to the airmover 28 sufficient to generate the suction vacuum force at the blenderhopper 20. By providing an independent power system from the cradle 16,the air mover 28 may continue to remove air from proximate the blenderhopper 20 even when the proppant delivery assembly 10 is not inoperation.

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation view of the proppant delivery system 10having the dust collection assembly 12 positioned proximate the rear end30 of the cradle 16. Similarly to FIG. 3, the containers 18 arranged ina side-by-side configuration along the cradle 16 are shown in phantomfor clarity. Moreover, in the illustrated embodiment, the manifold 48 isshown in phantom for clarity. As shown, the air mover 28 is arrangedcloser to the rear end 30 of the cradle 16 than the container 18positioned proximate the rear end 30 of the cradle 16. As a result, thecontainers 18 can be accessed from both sides of the cradle 16, therebyimproving access for maintenance, inspection, and the like.

In the illustrated embodiment, the manifold 48 is shown with connections60 arranged substantially linearly and proximate the distal end 32 ofthe cradle 16. The connections 60 enable the tubes 46 to couple to themanifold 48, and thereby provide a flow path for the air having the dustparticles to travel away from the blender hopper 20, through themanifold 48, and to the air mover 28. It should be appreciated that theconnections 60 may be positioned along any portion of the manifold 48and in any reasonable configuration to enable the tubes 46 to couple tothe manifold 48. For example, in the illustrated embodiment theconnections 60 are positioned facing the plane of the page. However, inother embodiments, the connections 60 may be positioned at anycircumferential position around the manifold 48 to enable quick and easyconnections between components of the dust collection assembly 12.

Moreover, the illustrated embodiment includes conduit supports 62coupled to a shroud arranged upstream of the chute 24. The conduitsupports 62 support the conduit 44 (e.g., the tubes 46) extending fromthe manifold 48 to the hood assembly 42. As will be appreciated, theconduit supports 62 support the conduit 44 to block movement andmaintain an open flow path along the conduit 44. For example, inembodiments where the tubes 46 are flexible lengths of pipe, the conduitsupports 62 can block impingement along the conduits 44, therebyfacilitating an open flow path between the air mover 28 and the hoodassembly 42.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of an embodiment of the proppant deliverysystem 10 and the dust collection assembly 12. It is appreciated thatseveral components are shown in phantom for clarity. In the illustratedembodiment, the conduit 44 couples the air mover 28 to the hood assembly42. For example, tubing 70 couples to the air mover 28 to the manifold48, which extends along the cradle length 40. At the distal end 32 ofthe cradle 16, the tubes 46 couple to the manifold 48 and to the hoodassembly 42, thereby forming a flow path between the air mover 28 andthe hood assembly 42. In the illustrated embodiment, the manifold 48 ispositioned beneath the cradle 16. That is, the manifold 48 is positionedwithin a front beam 72 and a rear beam 74 of the cradle 16. As a result,the manifold 48 is away from a walking area around the cradle 16,thereby enabling access to the containers 18 and decreasing the amountof equipment at ground level at the well site 14.

In FIG. 5, the tubes 46 are arranged such that a pair of tubes extendsalong a rear side 76 of the chute 24 and a pair of tubes extends overthe cradle and to a front side 78 of the chute 24. However, it should beappreciated that in other embodiments different configurations of thetubes 46 may be utilized to form the flow path between the hood assembly42 and the air mover 28.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of an embodiment of the dust collectionassembly 12 supporting two proppant delivery systems 10 a, 10 baccording to another embodiment of the present invention. In certainembodiments, multiple proppant delivery assemblies 10 can be utilized todeliver proppant to a single blender hopper 20. For example, asillustrated, each of the proppant delivery systems 10 a, 10 b mayutilize the air mover 28 to draw air away from the blender hopper 20 viarespective hood assemblies 42 a, 42 b.

In the illustrated embodiment, the manifold 48 is positioned below thecradle 16 a of the proppant delivery assembly 10 a. This manifold 48 isparticularly selected such that the size of the manifold 48 canaccommodate the air flow from both hood assemblies 42 a, 42 b. As aresult, the cradle 16 b of the proppant delivery assembly 10 b does nothave a manifold arranged below the cradle 16. Instead, the tubes 46 bextending from the hood assembly 42 b are arranged to couple to thetubes 46 a. As a result, the dust particles removed via the hoodassembly 48 b are transported through the tubes 46 b, into the tubes 42a, toward the manifold 48, and to the air mover 28 via the suctionpressure generated by the air mover 28.

As shown in FIG. 6, each hood assembly 42 a, 42 b is coupled to therespective chute 24 a, 24 b to be positioned above the blender hopper 20to remove dust particles formed from the movement and settling offracking proppant being dispensed from the containers 18. In certainembodiments, the hood assemblies 42 a, 42 b are in contact with oneanother over the blender hopper 20. However, in other embodiments, thehood assemblies 42 a, 42 b are independently moveable via movement ofthe respective chutes 24 a, 24 b.

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the proppant delivery system 10positioned to deliver proppant to the blender hopper 20 according to anembodiment of the present invention. As shown, portions of the cradle,16, container 18, proppant mover 22, chute 24, and the hood assembly 42have been cut away to clarify the discussion of the components of thesystem. As described above, the container 18 is positioned on a topsurface 90 of the cradle 16. The top surface 90 positions the container18 above the proppant mover 22 to receive the proppant 92 dispensed fromthe container 18 via an opening 94 at a bottom 96 of the container 18.The proppant 92 flows from the container 18 along inclined surfaces 98and onto a surface of the proppant mover 22 for transportation to theblender hopper 20 via the chute 24.

In the illustrated embodiment, the container 10 is substantiallybox-shaped and has four walls 100 extending between corner posts 102 inthe horizontal direction and a top post 104 and a bottom post 106 in thevertical direction. While FIG. 7 shows one wall 100 of the container 18,it is appreciated that the other walls 100 are substantially similar tothe illustrated wall 100. The walls 100 include a cage-like structuralsupport 108 having vertical support bars 110 and horizontal support bars112 arranged in a lattice-type configuration to provide structuralsupport to the walls 100 when filled with the proppant 92. Becauseproppant 92 is a highly-dense, granular material, little interstitialspace remains between grains of the proppant 92 when the proppant 92 isloaded into the container 18. The structural support 108 providesstrength and support to the walls 100 to stop bulging and/or deformationof the walls 100 when filled with proppant 92. As a result, thestructural integrity of the container 18 is improved, thereby improvingsafety during transportation and also enabling reuse of the containers18 when the proppant 92 is dispensed from the containers 18.

As illustrated, the proppant 92 flows out of the opening 94 alonginclined surfaces 98. The angle of the inclined surfaces 92 isparticularly selected to enhance the emptying of the container 18. Forexample, in the illustrated embodiment, the inclined surfaces 98 arepositioned approximately 30 degrees to 45 degrees relative to the bottom96. However, in other embodiments, the inclined surfaces 98 may be anyangle relative to the bottom 96 to enhance emptying of the container 18through the opening 94.

In certain embodiments, the container 10 includes a gate 114 arranged atthe bottom 96 and positioned to block or enable flow through the opening94. The gate 114 is configured to couple to an actuator (e.g.,hydraulic, electric, pneumatic) to drive movement of the gate 114between an open position and a closed position. As will be described indetail below, the orientation of the gate 114 when coupled to theactuators may be utilized to properly align the containers 18 on thecradle 16. That is, the gate 114 may be arrange such that the gate 114only aligns with the actuator when the container 18 is placed on thecradle 16 in a desirable configuration.

The proppant 92 flows out of the container 18 along the inclinedsurfaces 98 through the opening 94 and onto a proppant mover top surface120. The proppant mover top surface 120 receives and supports theproppant 92 as the proppant mover 22 takes the proppant 92 away from thecontainer 18 and toward the blender hopper 20. In the illustratedembodiment, the proppant mover 22 is a conveyor 122 (e.g., an endlessconveyor) extending beyond the length 40 of the cradle 16 and arrangedon one or more rollers 124 that underlies the top surface 90 of thecradle 16. The conveyor 122 carries the proppant 92 away from thecontainers 18 along an inclined section 126 to empty into the chute 24.That is, the conveyor 122 turns over to direct the proppant 92 off ofthe conveyor 122 and into the chute 24. In other words, the conveyor 122flips over at the chute 24 such that the surface traveling along the topof the rollers closest to the containers 18 becomes the surfacetraveling along the bottom of the rollers closest to the ground plane.In the illustrated embodiment, the inclined section 126 extends abovethe top surface 90 of the cradle 16. As shown, the conveyor 122 includesone or more projections 128 extending upward from the top surface 120.For example, the projections 128 can include walls, nubs, ridges, or thelike to facilitate receiving and supporting the proppant 92 as theproppant 92 contacts the conveyor 122 after it is dispensed from thecontainers 18.

In the illustrated embodiment, the inclined section 126 is covered by ashroud 130 that extends along a length 132 of the inclined section 126.The shroud 130 blocks dust particles formed due to the movement of theproppant 92 from entering the air, thereby potentially being inhaled byworkers or entering and damaging auxiliary equipment. As will bedescribed in detail below, a catch box 140 is coupled to a bottomsurface 142 of the shroud 130 and arranged downstream of the chute 24,relative to the movement of the proppant mover 22. The catch box 140 isfluidly coupled to the inclined section 126 via an opening in the bottomsurface 142 forming a flow path between the shroud 130 and the catch box140. As the conveyor 122 turns over to empty the proppant 92 into thechute 24, proppant 92 and/or dust particles remaining on the conveyor122 enter the catch box 140, thereby further capturing dust particlesand proppant 92 to prevent inhalation by workers and/or damage toauxiliary equipment.

The chute 24 is coupled to the shroud 130 via a proppant chamber 144positioned between the shroud 130 and the chute 24. The proppant chamber144 receives and directs the proppant 92 toward the chute 24. Moreover,the proppant chamber 144 further serves to block dust particles fromentering the air due to the enclosed nature of the proppant chamber 144.As a result, dust particles formed in the proppant chamber 144 willsettle onto the chute 24, where the dust particles can be captured bythe dust collection assembly 12. The chute 24 is pivotally coupled tothe proppant chamber 144 at an attachment plane 146. As a result, thechute 24 is directable because the chute 24 can revolve about theattachment plane 146 (e.g., about an axis extending through andperpendicular to the attachment plane 146) to adjust the location in theblender hopper 20 where the proppant 92 is directed.

In the illustrated embodiment, the chute 24 is coupled to the hoodassembly 42 along a back wall 150 of the hood assembly 42. Accordingly,the proppant 92 flows out of the chute 24 and through the hood assembly42 to enter the blender hopper 20. The tubes 46 extend from a top 152 ofthe hood assembly 42 to capture the dust particles formed by theproppant 92 flowing into the blender hopper 20 and to remove a volume ofair containing the dust particles.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the hood assembly 42 of the dustcollection assembly 12 positioned in association with the blender hopper20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As describedabove, the hood assembly 42 overlays the blender hopper 20 and ispositioned about an outlet of the chute 24 to capture dust particlesformed by the movement and settling of the proppant 92. In theillustrated embodiment, the hood assembly 42 includes a first hoodsection 154, a second hood section 156, and a third hood section 158.The first hood section 154 is a substantially enclosed area formed bythe back wall 150, a front wall 160, and sidewalls 162, 164 thatsubstantially surrounds the chute 24 outlet. The chute 24 is coupled tothe back wall 150 and the proppant 92 flows into the enclosed areaformed by the first hood section 154 as the proppant 92 flows toward theblender hopper 20. The top 152 includes a pair of dust receptacles 166coupled to tubes 46 to direct the dust particles away from the blenderhopper 20 and toward the air mover 28 via the suction pressure generatedby the air mover 28. While the illustrated embodiment includes two dustreceptacles 166, in other embodiments there can be 1, 3, 4, 5, or anysuitable number of dust receptacles extending from the top 152 of thefirst hood section 154. The first hood section 154 is arranged tocapture dust particles from at least a first volume 168 at leastpartially defined by the back wall 150, the first wall 150, thesidewalls 162, 164, and a bottom plane 170 (e.g., planar bottom surface)of the hood assembly 42.

In the illustrated embodiment, the second hood section 156 is positionedadjacent to the first hood section 154 and proximate the blender hopper20. As shown, the second hood section 156 is arranged to capture dustparticles in a second volume 172 at least partially defined by thebottom plane 170 of the hood assembly 42 and a pair of dust receptacles174. As shown, the dust receptacles 174 are coupled to a dust enclosure176 extending upward toward the top 152 of the first hood section 154.The dust enclosure 176 includes sloped walls 178 extending upward andconverging on the tube 46. In this manner, dust captured by the dustreceptacles 174 is channeled upward through the dust enclosure 176 andinto the tube 46. As shown, the area around the dust receptacles 174 issubstantially open, thereby enabling inspection into the second volume172. The second hood section 15 is coupled to the first hood section 154via a support bracket 180. The support bracket 180 positions the secondhood section 156 such that the dust receptacles 174 are substantiallyflush with the bottom plane 170. Accordingly, the second hood section156 is positioned to capture dust particles that disperse out and awayfrom the first hood section 154 and/or dust particles formed by theinclusion of the proppant 92 flowing out of the chute 24.

The third hood section 158 is positioned adjacent the first hood section154 and substantially opposite the second hood section 156. That is, thesecond and third hood sections 156, 158 are substantially symmetricalabout the first hood section 154. Accordingly, the third hood section158 is arranged to capture dust particles that disperse out and awayfrom the first hood section 154, in a similar manner to the second hoodsection 156. It should be appreciated that the first hood section 154partially obscures the view of the third hood section 158 in theillustrated embodiment. However, as mentioned above, the second hoodsection 156 and the third hood section 158 are substantiallysymmetrical, therefore, the third hood section 158 includes dustreceptacles 182 and a dust enclosure 184 arranged in the mannerillustrated for the second hood section 156.

In the illustrated embodiment, the hood assembly 42 is smaller than theblender hopper 20. That is, a length 186 and a depth 188 defining acapture area 190 of the hood assembly 42 is smaller than a surface area192 of the blender hopper 20 defined by a hopper length 194 and a hopperdepth 196. Therefore, the hood assembly 42 can be moved around theblender hopper 20 to capture dust particles that are formed due to thesettling and movement of the proppant 92. Moreover, the chute 24 can bemoved to direct the proppant 92 to different areas of the blender hopper20 to ensure even distributions in the blender hopper 20. Furthermore,while the illustrated embodiment depicts the hood assembly 42 has beingsmaller than the blender hopper 20, in other embodiments they may besubstantially the same size or the hood assembly 42 may be larger thanthe blender hopper 20.

As described above, the chute 24 is coupled to the back wall 150 of thehood assembly 42. In certain embodiments, the slots 198 positioned onthe top 152 are configured to receive forks of a forklift to enablelifting and movement of the hood assembly 42. Because the slots 198 arecoupled to the top 152, movement via the slots 198 leads to movement ofthe entire hood assembly 42 because the second and third hood sections156, 158 are coupled to the first hood section 154 via the supportbracket 180. In this manner, the hood assembly 42 can be positioned onthe chute 24 at the well site 14, thereby reducing the equipment coupledto the chute 24 during transportation between well sites 14. Moreover,the hood assembly 42 can be adapted to be used at other locations (e.g.,such as transloading sites where the proppant 92 is loaded into thecontainers 18) because of the ease of removability via the slots 198.

FIG. 8 also illustrates an embodiment of the tubes 46 extending from thehood assembly 42 and toward the manifold 48. As shown, a pair of tubes46 extends around the front side 78 of the chute 24 and a pair of tubes46 extends around the rear side 76 of the chute 24. In this manner, thetubes 46 can be organized based on the location where the tubes 46 arecoupled to the hood assembly 42. In the illustrated embodiment, thetubes 46 coupled to the first hood section 154 include bends 200 thatconform to the chute 24. The bends 200 enable a smaller footprint forthe system because the tubes 46 are positioned closer to the chute 24than tubes without bends 200. As a result, the tubes 46 are morestreamlined. Moreover, the tubes 46 are easier to install because thebends 200 provide an indication as to which tube 46 couples to whichdust receptacle of the hood assembly 42. As a result, the duration toinstall the system may be reduced, thereby improving efficiencies at thewell site 14.

In the illustrated embodiment, the hood assembly 42 includes a curtain202 extending downwardly from the bottom plane 170 toward the blenderhopper 20. The curtain 202 is formed from flexible sheets (e.g.,plastic) to form at least a portion of the first volume 168, the secondvolume 170, and a third volume 204. It should be appreciated that incertain embodiments, the curtain 202 may be a single unit having nogaps. However, in other embodiments, the curtain 202 may includemultiple strips or sections that are independently moveable from oneother. The curtain 202 blocks the dust particles from dispersing out andaway from the first, second, and third volumes 168, 170, 204, therebyenhancing the collection by the hood assembly 42. For example, incertain embodiments, the hood assembly 42 may be lowered into theblender hopper 20 such that the curtain 202 is in contact with theproppant 92 positioned within the blender hopper 20. In this manner, thedust particles will be contained within the first, second, and thirdvolumes 168, 170, 204 as the proppant 92 flows from the chute 24 to theblender hopper 20. As shown in FIG. 8, the curtain 202 extends about aperimeter 206 of the capture area 190 to substantially enclose the dustparticles within the first, second, and third volumes 168, 170, 204.

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the hood assembly 42 according to anembodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, thechute 24 is coupled to the angled back wall 150 to direct the proppant92 flowing through the chute 24 through the hood assembly 42. As shown,the front wall 160 is angled and converges toward the back wall 150 atthe top 152. In other words, the area at the top 152 of the first hoodsection 142 is smaller than the area at the bottom plane 170. Moreover,the dust enclosure 184 is formed by sloped walls 178 at converge towardthe tube 46, thereby directing the collected dust particles out of thedust receptacles 182 and toward the air mover 28.

In the illustrated embodiment, the third hood section 158 includes thepair of dust receptacles 182 arranged in a spaced apart relationship.The dust receptacles 182 extend downwardly from the dust enclosure 184to capture dust particles in the third volume 204. In the illustratedembodiment, the dust receptacles 182 are substantially cylindricaltubular members that have an enlarged opening 220 positioned at a bottomthereof. In other words, the cross-sectional area of the dustreceptacles 182 decreases from the opening 220 upward to the dustenclosure 184. By decreasing the cross-sectional area, the force enactedon the dust particles is increased and thereby improves the capture ofthe dust particles present in the third volume 204. Moreover, while theillustrated embodiment includes a reduced diameter on the dustreceptacles 182, in other embodiments the diameter may increase orremain substantially constant.

FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of the hood assembly 42 according toan embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the firsthood section 154 is arranged between the second hood section 156 and thethird section 158. Each section 154, 156, 158 is arranged to capturedust particles from a respective first, second, and third volume 168,172, 204 to remove the dust particles from proximate the blender hopper20. In the illustrated embodiment, the hood assembly 42 is substantiallysymmetrical about the first hood section 154. However, in otherembodiments, the second and third volumes 156, 158 may have differentconfigurations based on design conditions.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first hood section 154 is defined atleast in part by the side walls 162, 164, the top 152, and the frontwall 160. It should be noted that the back wall 150 also defines thefirst hood section 154, at least in part, but is not visible in thedepicted view. In operation, the hood assembly 42 is lowered into theblender hopper 20 such that the curtain 202 is in contact with theproppant 92 in the blender hopper, or such that the curtain 202 isclosely positioned to the proppant 92 in the blender hopper. As aresult, the first volume 168 being acted on by the suction force throughthe dust receptacles 166 may be defined at least in part by the firsthood section 154 and the curtain 202.

The second and third hood sections 156, 158 are positioned on oppositesides of the first hood section 154 to capture dust particles formedwhen the proppant 92 flows through the first hood section 154. As shown,each of the second and third hood sections 156, 158 includes dustreceptacles 174, 182 and dust enclosures 176, 184, respectively. Assuction pressure from the air mover draws a volume of air into each ofthe dust receptacles 174, 182, the volume of air is directed toward therespective dust enclosure 176, 184 and toward the tubes 46. In thismanner, dust particles can be removed from the second and third volumes172, 204.

FIG. 11 is a rear elevation view of the hood assembly 42 according to anembodiment of the present invention. The chute 24 is coupled to the backwall 150 such that proppant 92 flowing through the chute 24 enters thefirst hood section 154. As shown, the chute 24 is substantially centeredin the back wall 150 such that the proppant 92 exiting the chute 24 willbe uniformly spread through the first hood section 154. Furthermore, asdescribed above, the curtain 202 extends about the perimeter 206 asillustrated in FIG. 11. In this manner, the first, second, and thirdvolumes 168, 172, 204 can be substantially sealed off, thereby improvingthe suction pressure generated by the air mover 28.

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the hood assembly 42 and the routing ofthe tubes 46, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Asdescribed above, the hood assembly 42 is substantially symmetrical aboutthe first hood section 154, in the illustrated embodiment. Accordingly,the dust particles may be captured uniformly in the blender hopper 20.The back wall 150 and front wall 160 converge at the top 152 where thedust receptacles 166 are coupled to the tubes 46 to direct the dustparticles away from the hood assembly 42 and toward the air mover 28.The top 152 extends between the sidewalls 162, 164 to span across thefirst hood section 14. The dust receptacles 166 are arranged on the top152 in a side-by-side spaced relationship such that a gap 230 extendsbetween the dust receptacles 166. By spacing the dust receptacles 166apart, the suction force of the air mover 28 is distributed over alarger portion of the first volume 168, thereby improving the capture ofthe dust particles.

The dust receptacles 174, 182 are arranged on the respective dustenclosures 176, 184 of the second and third hood sections 156, 158. Asillustrated, the second and third hood sections 156, 158 each include apair of dust receptacles 174, 182 arranged in a spaced relationshipalong the hood depth 188. In this manner, the suction pressure generatedby the air mover 28 is distributed over the hood depth 188 of each ofthe second and third hood sections 156, 158 to facilitate capture andremoval of the dust particles formed by the movement and settling of theproppant 92.

In the illustrated embodiment, the tube connections 240 aresubstantially aligned along the hood length 186. That is, the locationswhere the tubes 46 interact with the hood assembly 42 are substantiallyaligned and centered relative to the hood length 186 and the hood depth188. As a result, the suction pressure generated by the air mover 28 isdirected toward a central portion of the hood assembly 42. As describedabove, the first hood section 154 converges toward the top 152 and thedust enclosures 176, 184 also converge upward toward the tubes 46.Accordingly, the respective cross-sectional areas are reduced as thecaptured dust particles move upward toward the tubes 46, therebyincreasing the force enacted on the dust particles by the suctionpressure. In this manner, the dust particles are captured and removedfrom the area proximate the blender hopper 20, thereby decreasing thelikelihood that the dust particles are inhaled by operations personnelor interact with auxiliary equipment.

The tubes 46 are routed in pairs around the front side 78 of the chuteand the rear side 76 of the chute. As shown, the tubes are generallyparallel until the bends 200 direct the inner tubes 46 a toward theconnections 240 on the first hood section 154. Routing the tubes 46 inpairs simplifies maintenance and inspection because an operator canquickly and easily identify which tubes 46 are coupled to which sectionsof the hood assembly 42. In this manner, the dust particles captured inthe hood assembly 42 can be removed and carried toward the air mover 28via the tubes 46.

FIG. 13 is a bottom plan view of the hood assembly 42 according to anembodiment of the present invention. As shown, the chute 24 connectionsto the hood assembly 42 along the back wall 150, thereby directingproppant 92 flowing through the chute 24 through the first hood section154 before being deposited into the blender hopper 20. In theillustrated embodiments, screens 250 are positioned within the firsthood section 154. The screens 250 are positioned to block grains ofproppant 92 from entering the dust receptacles 166. For example, incertain embodiments, the air mover 28 may be configured to operate at asuction pressure sufficient to lift grains of proppant 92 from theblender hopper 20. The screens 250 can be sized to block the grains ofproppant 92 from entering the dust receptacles 166, thereby limiting thequantity of proppant 92 removed from the blender hopper 20. However, itshould be appreciated that in certain embodiments the screens 250 maynot be included in the hood assembly 42. For example, the air mover 28may be operated at a suction pressure sufficient to capture dustparticles, which are smaller and weigh less than the grains of proppant92, while not significantly impacting the grains of proppant 92.

The dust receptacles 174, 182 of the second and third hood sections 156,158, respectively, are positioned closer to the bottom plane 170 thanthe dust receptacles 166 of the first hood section 154. Moreover, thesecond and third hood sections 156, 158 are not fully enclosed, like thefirst hood section 154, and therefore the dust particles are notfunneled toward the second and third hood sections 156, 158. However, bypositioning the dust receptacles 174, 182 closer to the blender hopper20, the second and third hood sections 156, 158 can capture dustparticles that are formed by the movement and settling of the proppant92 flowing through the chute 24. For example, the dust particles maydisperse outwardly from the first hood section 154 as the proppant 92contacts the level of proppant 92 in the blender hopper 20. The secondand third hood sections 156, 158 are therefore positioned to capture thedust particles that move away from the first hood section 154, therebyremoving dust particles from the air to reduce the risk of inhalation orcontact with auxiliary equipment.

FIG. 14 is a partial sectional view of the hood assembly 24 taken alongline 14-14 of FIG. 8 positioned in association with the blender hopper20 to collect dust particles from the blender hopper 20 according to anembodiment of the present invention. As shown, a bottom plane 260 of thecurtain 202 is positioned to overlay an opening 262 of the blenderhopper 20 to substantially block the dust particles from escaping afterbeing formed due to the movement and settling of the proppant 92. Theproppant 92 flows out of the chute 24 and into the blender hopper 20through the first hood section 154. As the proppant 92 contacts theproppant 92 disposed in the blender hopper 20, dust particles 264 canform. The dust particles 264 have a smaller diameter than the grains ofproppant 92 and weigh less, thereby enabling the suction pressure of theair mover 28 to capture the dust particles 264 and remove them from theblender hopper 20.

The air mover 28 directs an air flow 266 (represented be the arrows)over a flow path 268 arranged over the blender hopper 20. In theillustrated embodiment, the flow path 268 is at least partially definedby the curtain 202. The air flow 266 is a suction force that draws airout of the blender hopper and up into the hood assembly 42. In otherwords, the air flow 266 is a vacuum force that moves air in the flowpath 268 in a direction substantially opposite the direction of theproppant 92 flowing into the blender hopper 20 from the chute 24. Asshown, the air flow 266 draws the dust particles 264 toward the first,second, and third hood sections 154, 156, 158. As shown, the air flow266 is positioned over the flow path 268 to capture dust particles 264suspended in the first, second, and third volumes 168, 170, 204. The airflow 266 pulls the dust particles 264 into the dust receptacles 166,174, 182 and through the hood assembly 42 to enter the tubes 46.Thereafter, the tubes 46 direct the air flow 266 toward the air mover 28and away from the blender hopper 20.

As described above, the vacuum pressure generated by the air mover 28 isdesigned to carry the dust particles 264 produced by the movement andsettling of the proppant 92 without significantly impacting the proppant92. In other words, the vacuum pressure is designed to lift the dustparticles 264 away from the proppant 92 while also limiting orsubstantially restricting the quantity of proppant 92 lifted away fromthe blender hopper 20. That is, the air flow 266 is designed to besufficient to collect the dust particles 264 and also significantlyreduce the risk of lifting the proppant 92. For example, the air mover28 can include one or more fans or blowers driven by the engine 52 todraw a volume of air away from the blender hopper 20 (e.g., via theconduit 44) and toward the air mover 28. That is, as the fan is drivento rotate by the engine 52, the pressure in front of the fan blades(e.g., downstream of the fan blades) is reduced, thereby drawing airacross the fan blades. As the air crosses over the fan blades, energy isadded to the air, thereby increasing the velocity of the air. In thismanner, air is removed from downstream of the fan and directed towardthe fan.

As described in detail above, the air mover 28 includes the conduit 44to couple the air mover 28 to the hood assembly 42. As will beappreciated by one skilled in the art, as fluid (e.g., gas, liquid,solids, mixtures thereof) flows through conduit 44, there is typically adrop in the pressure of the system due to the lengths of the conduits44, bends in the conduit 44, measurement devices, filter elements, andthe like. These line losses (e.g., pressure drop) can be referred to asthe static pressure in the line, that is, the pressure that the airmover 28 overcomes in order to generate the suction pressure.Accordingly, in order to remove the air proximate the blender hopper 20,the air mover 28 is designed to generate a sufficient suction pressureto overcome the static pressure (e.g., line losses) and also capture andremove the dust particles 256.

The fan is designed to operate at a given flow rate for a given staticpressure. In the illustrated embodiment, the air mover 28 (e.g., the fanof the air mover 28) is rated to operate at approximately 1699 cubicmeters per hour (m3/h) at 431.8 millimeters water gauge (mmWG) (1000cubic feet per minute (CFM) at 17 inches water gauge (inWG) or 286.2cubic meters per minute (m3/min) at 4234.5 Pascals (Pa)). Moreover, incertain embodiments, the air mover 28 is rated to operate atapproximately 20390 m3/h at 297.18 mmWG (12000 CFM at 11.7 inWG or 339m3/min at 2914.34 Pa). FIG. 39 illustrates a linear approximation of therange of operation of the air mover 28. That is, a fit line 300 havingan equation represented by y=−0.039594x+1104.504 approximates a linefitting points together representative of the operating parameters ofthe fan, where y is equal to the static pressure in mmWG and x is equalto the flow rate in m3/h. As will be appreciated, the fit line 300 maybe obtained by utilizing the formula y−y1=m(x−x1), where y and y1 arepressures, x and x1 are flow rates, and m is the slope.

As shown, the flow rate and the static pressure are inverselyproportional, such that at the static pressure, and therefore thepressure drop in the system, decreases, the flow rate increases. In thismanner, the routing configuration of the conduit 44 may be adjusted atthe well site to lower the static pressure, thereby increasing the flowrate of the system. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that thestatic pressure can also be a property of the temperature, elevation,atmospheric pressure, and the like of the well site. Accordingly, wellsites located at higher elevations (e.g., in mountainous regions) mayhave a lower atmospheric pressure, and thereby a lower static pressure.Moreover, well sites located at lower elevations may have a higheratmospheric pressure, and thereby a higher static pressure. In thismanner, the system may be adjusted based on the location of the wellsite, the environmental conditions at the well site, and the desiredoperating parameters of the well site.

In certain embodiments illustrated in the present disclosure, thesuction pressure (e.g., vacuum pressure, vacuum force, suction force)generated by the air mover 28 is sufficient to capture and remove thedust particles 264 generated by the movement and settling of theproppant 92 while not lifting or carrying the proppant 92 up and awayfrom the blender hopper 20. For example, in certain embodiments, theproppant 92 may have a density between 1.5 grams per cubic centimeter(g/cm3) and 4 g/cm3. Furthermore, the proppant 92 can have a mesh sizeof 20/40 and have an average proppant diameter of 0.69 millimeters (mm).As described above, the proppant 92 may be spherical particles, having avolume defined by (4/3)(pi)(r)3, where r is the radius of the sphericalshape. Accordingly, the grains of proppant 92 can have a mass in therange of approximately 0.25801 milligrams (mg) and 0.688027 mg. However,it should be appreciated that in other embodiments the grains ofproppant 92 can have different densities and different diameters, whichcould have masses different than the range specified above. For example,larger, denser grains would have a larger mass, while smaller, lessdense grains would have a smaller mass.

As will be known by one skilled in the art, pressure is defined as forceof area. Moreover, the force can be defined as the mass of the grains ofproppant over an area. For clarity, the proppant 92 not be referred toas a single grain, but instead, as a layer of grains evenly distributedover a plane. However, it should be appreciated that the calculationscontained herein may be utilized on any number of proppant grains todetermine a pressure sufficient to lift the grains from a restingposition. For example, in certain embodiments, the hood assembly 42 canhave dimensions of approximately 1.22 meters (m) by 1.22 m(approximately 4 feet by 4 feet). As a result, the surface area isapproximately 1.44 square meters (m2). However, because the proppant 92is substantially spherical, the surface area of the proppant positionedon the plane having a surface area of approximately 1.44 m2 isdifferent. For example, assuming that the proppant grains having anaverage diameter of 0.69 mm as described above, approximately 3,118,756grains of proppant 92 can be positioned under the hood assembly 42having the surface area of approximately 1.44 m2. Yet, because thegrains are spherical, the surface area of the proppant may beapproximated by calculating of half of the surface area of a sphere,because approximately one half of the surface area will be pointeddownwards. As will be known by one skilled in the area, the surface areaof a sphere may be calculated by the equation SA=4(pi)(r2), where r isthe radius. Utilizing the average diameter of 0.69 mm and multiplying bythe number of grains present under the surface area of the hood 42yields a surface area of approximately 2.33 m2.

Thereafter, the pressure range for the average density (e.g., 1.5 g/cm3to 4 g/cm3) can be determined. For example, for the density of 1.5g/cm3, the weight of the proppant particles may be calculated bymultiplying the mass of the particles by the number of particles and bythe force due to gravity (e.g., 9.81 m/s2). Moreover, the calculatedweight is divided by the calculated area, yielding a pressure of 3.38Pa. Furthermore, for the density of 4 g/cm3, and utilizing the samesteps listed above, the pressure is 9.025 Pa. Therefore, for suctionpressures above the static pressure of less than approximately 3.38 Pa,the grains of proppant 92 in the blender hopper 20 will not be carriedaway. Additionally, because in certain embodiments the proppant 92 mayinclude a range of sizes, the suction pressures above the staticpressure may be within a range from approximately 3.38 Pa to 9.025 Pa.However, the dust particles 264, which are smaller and lighter than theproppant 92, will be captured and removed from the volume of airproximate the blender hopper. It should be appreciated that the abovementioned pressures may be modified due to operating conditions, such astemperature, atmospheric pressure, proppant size, proppant density,conduit 44 configurations, filter element properties, and the like.Furthermore, the above-calculated pressures are indicative of pressuresabove the static pressure utilized to overcome the line losses presentin the system.

As described above, the tubes 46 couple to the hood assembly 42 at thetube connections 240. In the illustrated embodiment, the tubeconnections 240 are substantially aligned. That is, the tube connections240 are at approximately the same elevation relative to the bottom plane170 of the hood assembly 42. However, it should be appreciated that thetube connections 240 do not need to be aligned in order for the tubes 46to remove the dust particles 264 from the blender hopper 20.

As shown in FIG. 14, the sloped walls 178 of the dust enclosures 176,184 converge toward the tube connections 240 to thereby decrease thecross-sectional area of the dust enclosures 176, 184. As a result, theforce generated by the air mover 28 via the air flow 266 is increasedbefore the air flow 266 enters the tubes 46. Accordingly, the largerforce acting on the dust particles 264 will facilitate capture andtransportation of the air flow 266 to the air mover 28.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the hood assembly 24 taken along line15-15 of FIG. 8. In the illustrated embodiment, the arrow depicts theproppant flow direction 280 through the chute 24. In operation, theproppant 92 flows through the chute 24 after being received from theproppant mover 22. The chute 24 is angled downward, thereby utilizinggravity to drain into the blender hopper 20. As shown, the chute 24 ispositioned such that an angle 282 of the chute relative to the back wall150 is approximately 90 degrees. In other words, the chute 24 isarranged substantially perpendicular to the back wall 150. It should beappreciated that in other embodiments, the chute 24 may be positioned atother angles relative to the back wall 150 (e.g., 45 degrees, 60degrees, 75 degrees, etc.) to accommodate design conditions. In theillustrated embodiment, the screen 250 is positioned to extend upwardalong the side wall 162. In this manner, the screen 250 may block grainsof proppant captured by the air flow 266 from traveling upward into thecorners of the first hood section 154. Once captured, the dust particles264 are entrained in the air flow 266 moving in an air flow direction284. As shown, the air flow direction 284 is substantially opposite theproppant flow direction 280. In other words, the air flow direction 284is out of and away from the blender hopper 20, while the proppant flowdirection 280 is toward and into the blender hopper 20.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of the hood assembly 42 taken along line16-16 of FIG. 8. In the illustrated embodiment, the dust enclosure 176is shown with the air flow 266 directing the air from the flow path 268upward to the tubes 46. The dust enclosure 176 receives the air removedfrom the second volume 172 by the air flow 266. In the illustratedembodiment, the pair of dust receptacles 174 are substantially alignedwith the bottom plane 170 of the hood assembly 42 to capture dustparticles formed in and around the second volume 172. As depicted by thearrows 266 representing the air flow, air from the flow path 268 iscaptured by the air flow 266 such that dust particles positioned in theair are directed toward the second hood section 156. The dustreceptacles 174 are coupled to the dust enclosure 176 to direct the airflow 266 toward the air mover 28 in the air flow direction 284 via thetubes 46. In this manner, the dust particles 264 can be removed fromproximate the blender hopper 24 via the hood assembly 42.

As described above, the sloped walls 178 of the dust enclosure 176 arepositioned to reduce the cross-sectional area of the dust enclosure 176and direct the air flow 266 toward the tube connections 240 and thetubes 46. In other words, the sloped walls 178 converge toward the tubeconnections 240 toward a center of the dust enclosure 176, therebyfunneling the air flow 266 toward the tubes 46. While the illustratedembodiment includes the second hood section 156, it should beappreciated that the third hood section 158 is substantially amirror-image. Accordingly, the features present in the second hoodsection 156 are also present in the third hood section 158.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of the conduit 44 coupling the air mover28 to the hood assembly 42, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. The air mover 28 is positioned to draw air away from the hoodassembly 42 and the catch box 140 via a generated suction pressure. Theair flow 266 moves in the air flow direction 284 away from the hoodassembly 42 and the catch box 140 and toward the air mover 28. In theillustrated embodiment, the tubes 46 couple the hood assembly 42 and thecatch box 140 to the manifold 48 to direct the air flow 266 back to theair mover 28. It should be appreciate that while the illustratedembodiment depicts four tubes 46 extending from the hood assembly 42 tothe manifold 48, in other embodiments more or fewer tubes 46 may beutilized to enable the air flow 266 to enter the manifold 48.

FIG. 18 is a top plan view of the hood assembly 42 in a first position290 adjacent and overlying the blender hopper 20 according to anembodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, thecapture area 190 is smaller than the blender hopper surface area 192. Asa result, the hood assembly 42 can move to different positions in theblender hopper 20 to evenly distribute the proppant 92 and to capturedust particles 264 formed by the movement and settling of the proppant92. For example, turning to FIG. 19, a top plan view of the hoodassembly 42 in a second position 292 is shown. In the illustratedembodiment, the second position 292 is different than the first position290. For example, the second position 292 is closer to a corner 294 ofthe blender hopper 20 than the first position 290. In this manner, thehood assembly 42 can be moved in the blender hopper 20 to evenlydistribute the proppant 92 and to capture dust particles 264.Furthermore, with regard to FIG. 20, a top plan view of the hoodassembly 42 in a third position 296 is shown. As shown, the hoodassembly 42 is positioned at an opposite corner 298 from the corner 294.In this manner, the hood assembly 42 can be continuously moved over theblender hopper 20 to distribute the proppant 92 and to capture dustparticles 264 formed by the settling and movement of the proppant 92.

FIG. 21 is a top plan view of the conduit 44 coupled to the hoodassembly 42. In the illustrated embodiment, the tubes 46 are coupled tothe hood assembly 42 at the connections 240. As shown, the air flow 266is directed through the tubes 46 and toward the manifold 48. Themanifold 48 receives the air flow 266 and further directs the air flow266 in the air flow direction 284 away from the hood assembly 42 andtoward the air mover 28. The tubes 46 are supported by the conduitsupports 62 (in phantom) arranged along the inclined section 126. Asshown, the conduit supports 62 direct the tubes 46 to the front side 78and the rear side 76 of the chute 24. Accordingly, the tubes 46 areorganized, thereby increasing the ease of maintenance or inspection ofthe tubes 46.

As described above, the tubes 46 couple to the manifold 48 at theconnections 60. Accordingly, the air flow 266 in the tubes 46 isdirected toward the manifold 48 for further delivery to the air mover28. In certain embodiments, the tubes 46 are organized at theconnections 60 to readily identify which tube 46 is connected to thefirst, second, and third hood sections 154, 156, 158. Accordingly,during maintenance or inspection, operations personnel can easilyidentify potential blockages and/or concerns with the tubes 46 and theassociated hood sections 154, 156, 158.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the catch box 140 positioned on thebottom surface 142 of the inclined section 126 of the shroud 130. In theillustrated embodiment, the catch box 140 is positioned below theproppant mover 22 to catch residual proppant that remains on theproppant mover 22 after being deposited into the chute 24. As shown, thecatch box 140 has a substantially vertical side 310 arranged proximatethe proppant chamber 144 and an inclined side 312 arranged proximate theinclined section 126 and opposite the vertical side 310. The verticalside 310 and the inclined side 312 direct residual proppant and dustparticles 264 received by the catch box 140 downward toward a lowersection 314 having an outlet 316. In the illustrated embodiment, thelower section 314 is substantially cylindrical and coupled to thevertical side 310 and the inclined side 312. Moreover, the lower section314 is coupled to a first side panel 318 and a second side panel 320,the second side panel being obscured in this view. In this manner, thecatch box 140 includes an interior volume for receiving and storingresidual proppant and dust particles 264.

In the illustrated embodiment, the outlet 316 is coupled to the tubes 46for removal of the residual proppant and dust particles 264 storedwithin the catch box 140. For example, as the residual proppant 46 andthe dust particles 264 enter the catch box 140, they are directeddownward to the lower section 314. In the illustrated embodiment, theoutlet 316 is coupled to the manifold 48 and is acted on by the vacuumpressure of the air mover 28. As a result, the residual proppant anddust particles 264 are directed toward the air mover 28 for removal fromthe system. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the catch box 140 isarranged to store the residual proppant for later manual removal afterfracking operations are complete. For example, in certain embodiments,the suction pressure generated by the air mover 28 is not large enoughto carry the proppant 92. As a result, the catch box 140 may be arrangedto hold the residual proppant because the air flow 266 may not besufficient to carry the proppant 92. However, in other embodiments, theair flow 266 may be sufficient to remove the residual proppant from thecatch box 140.

FIG. 23 is a front elevational view of the catch box 140 arranged underthe inclined section 126. In the illustrated embodiment, the tubes 46coupled to the first hood section 154, the second hood section 156, andthe third hood section 158 are shown in phantom being supported by theconduit supports 62. As shown, the vertical side 310 includes an accessport 330. In certain embodiments, the tubes 46 may be coupled to theaccess port 330 in order to provide a second flow path out of the catchbox 140, in addition to the outlet 316 arranged at the lower section314. In the illustrated embodiment, the lower section 314 has a lowerwidth 332 that is greater than a catch box width 334. As a result, thelower section 314 can distribute the residual proppant and dustparticles 264 over a larger surface area, thereby enhancing theeffectiveness of the vacuum pressure acting on the outlet 316.

In the illustrated embodiment, the conduit supports 62 are coupled toand extend away from the vertical side 310. In this manner, the catchbox 140 is utilized to support and route the tubes 46 between themanifold 48 and the first, second, and third hood sections 154, 156,158. For example, the conduit supports 62 on the catch box 140 positionthe tubes 46 above the lower section 314 and out of contact with thelower section 314. Yet, in certain embodiments, the tubes 46 may rest onthe lower section 314 to provide further support.

FIG. 24 is a side elevational view of the catch box 140 positioned onthe bottom surface 142 of the shroud 130 such that the catch box 140 isdownstream of the chute 24, relative to the direction of travel of theproppant mover 22. In the illustrated embodiment, the inclined side 312is positioned at an angle 340 with respect to the vertical side 310. Itis appreciated that by positioning the inclined side 312 at the angle340, residual proppant and dust particles 264 that enter the catch box140 and contact the inclined side 312 will be directed downward towardthe lower section 314 via gravity. As such, the residual proppant anddust particles 264 may be positioned proximate the outlet 316 forremoval.

As described above, the catch box 140 is positioned downstream of thechute 24, relative to the direction of travel of the proppant mover 22.For example, in the illustrated embodiment, during operation theproppant mover 22 carries the proppant 92 in a first direction 342toward the proppant chamber 144 and the chute 24. In certainembodiments, the proppant mover 22 is the endless conveyor 122 whichturns over at a point and returns back toward the containers 18 in thesecond direction 344. As such, the catch box 140 is positioned along theportion of the conveyor moving in the second direction 344, andtherefore is described as being downstream of the chute 24.

In the illustrated embodiment, the catch box 140 is coupled to thebottom surface 142 of the shroud 130. As will be described below,coupling the catch box 140 to the bottom surface 142 enables theresidual proppant to fall off of the conveyor 122 as it moves in thesecond direction 344, and thereby downward and into the catch box 140.Moreover, positioning the catch box 140 below the inclined section 126enables use of the catch box 140 is support the tubes 46 via the conduitsupports 62, thereby enhancing the routing of the tubes 42 around theinclined section 126.

As shown in FIG. 24, the outlet 316 extends out of the lower section 314perpendicular to the plane of the page. The outlet 316 is coupled to thetube 46 to direct the residual proppant and dust particles 264positioned within the catch box 140 toward the manifold 48 via thesuction pressure generated by the air mover 28. That is, the residualproppant and dust particles 264 will be directed downward toward thelower section 314 via the vertical side 310 and the inclined side 312.As the residual proppant and the dust particles 264 collect within thecatch box 140, the suction pressure of the air mover 28 removes theresidual proppant and/or the dust particles 264 from the catch box 140via the outlet 316 to be directed toward the air mover 28. In thismanner, the risk of exposure to proppant and dust particles 264 isreduced because the proppant and dust particles 264 remain containedwithin the shroud 130 and the catch box 140 after being deposited intothe chute 24.

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of the catch box 140 receivingresidual proppant 354 and dust particles 264 from the conveyor 122 takenalong line 25-25 of FIG. 23. In the illustrated embodiment, the verticalside 310, inclined side 312, lower section 314, second side panel 320,and bottom surface 142 of the shroud 130 at least partially define aninterior volume 350 of the catch box 140. In the illustrated embodiment,an inlet 352 is positioned proximate the junction between the chute 24and the vertical side 310. The inlet 352 fluidly couples the catch box140 to the shroud 130. In the illustrated embodiment, residual proppant354 falls from a lower surface 356 of the conveyor 122 and into thecatch box 140. As used herein, the lower surface 356 describes thesurface of the conveyor 122 as the conveyor 122 is traveling in thesecond direction 344. In other words, the lower surface 356 is thesurface of the conveyor 122 positioned closest to the ground plane.

In the illustrated embodiment, the residual proppant 354 falls off ofthe lower surface 356 via the gravitational force acting on the residualproppant 354 as the conveyor 122 moves in the second direction 344. Asillustrated by the arrows 358, the residual proppant 354 and dustparticles 254 settle and collect in the lower section 314 of the catchbox 140. For example, the residual proppant 354 may contact the inclinedside 312 and be directed toward the lower section 314. At the lowersection 314, the residual proppant 354 and the dust particles 254 areremoved from the catch box 140 via the air flow 266 generated by thesuction pressure of the air mover 28. For example, the tube 46 iscoupled to the outlet 316 to fluidly couple the air mover 28 to thecatch box 140 via the manifold 48. Accordingly, the residual proppant354 and the dust particles 254 remain within the contained portions(e.g., shroud 130, manifold 48, catch box 140) of the system, therebyreducing the risk of exposure to fracking site operations personnel.

FIG. 26 is a partial side elevation view of proppant 92 being depositedinto the catch box 140, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. As described above, the catch box 14 is arranged on a bottomsurface 142 of the shroud 130 to catch dust particles 264 and proppant92 after the conveyor 122 turns over to deposit the proppant 92 into theproppant chamber 144. For example, the conveyor 122 receives theproppant 92 discharged from the containers 18 on the top surface 120.The conveyor 122 moves the proppant 92 away from the containers 18 andup the inclined section 126. At an apex 400, the conveyor 122 turns oversuch that the top surface 120 is no longer on top of the rollers 124. Inother words, after the top surface 120 crosses the apex 400, the topsurface 120 becomes the lower surface 356 that substantially faces aground plane. In operation, the proppant 92 on the top surface 120 fallsoff of the conveyor 122 at the apex 400 and into the proppant chamber144 to the chute 24. However, in certain embodiments, residual proppant354 remains on the top surface 102. Furthermore, dust particles 264 mayform in the proppant chamber 144 due to the movement and settling of theproppant 92. To capture the residual proppant 354 and the dust particles264, the catch box 140 is positioned on the bottom surface 142 of theshroud 130 downstream of the apex 400.

In the illustrated embodiment, the inlet 352 between the shroud 130 andthe proppant chamber 144 provides access to the catch box 140. Theresidual proppant 354 remaining on the conveyor 122 is directed towardthe catch box 140 via the positioning of the catch box 140 at thelocation where the conveyor 122 turns over. In other words, the catchbox 140 is positioned downstream of the apex 400 where the top surface120 becomes the lower surface 356. Accordingly, the gravitational forceacting on the residual proppant 354, drives the residual proppant 354 tofall off of the conveyor 122 and into the catch box 140. Furthermore,dust particles 264 forming at the proppant chamber 144 can settle towardthe inlet 352, thereby being captured in the catch box 140. In thismanner, the residual proppant 354 and dust particles 264 may be capturedbefore the lower surface 356 returns down the inclined section 126 andtoward the containers 18.

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of the hood assembly 42 arranged overthe blender hopper 20 in which the air flow 266 traveling through theconduit 44 is illustrated. As described in detail above, the hoodassembly 42 is arranged proximate and overlying the blender hopper 20.In the illustrated embodiment, the hood assembly 42 is smaller than theblender hopper 20, thereby enabling the hood assembly 42 to move withoutthe blender hopper 20 to evenly distribute the proppant 92. The hoodassembly 42 is coupled to and surrounds the chute 24. As describedabove, the chute 24 receives the proppant 92 from the proppant mover 22,as shown by the proppant flow direction 280. The proppant 92 isdispensed from the containers 18 positioned on the cradle 16 downwardvia gravity feed onto the proppant mover 22. The proppant mover 22 movesthe proppant 92 away from the containers 18 and toward the chute 24. Asthe proppant 92 enters the chute 24, the chute 24 positioned to directthe proppant 92 into the blender hopper 20.

In the illustrated embodiment, the hood assembly 42 is positioned tocapture dust particles 264 formed due to the movement and settling ofthe proppant 92. For example, the hood assembly 42 directs the air flow266 over the flow path 268 to capture the dust particles 264 and directthe dust particles 264 through the hood assembly 42 and into the tubes46. The tubes 46 direct the air flow 266 toward the manifold 48 in theair flow direction 284. As illustrated, the tubes 46 are coupled to themanifold 48 at the connections 60, thereby substantially joining therespective air flows 266 in each tube 46. In this manner, the captureddust particles are directed away from the blender hopper 20 and towardthe air mover 28.

Moreover, as described above, the catch box 140 is arranged on thebottom surface 142 of the inclined section 126. As shown, the air flow266 acts on the catch box 140 to remove the residual proppant 354 anddust particles 264 that are collected therein via the tube 46 coupled tothe outlet 316. As will be appreciated, the tube 46 is coupled to themanifold 48, thereby transmitting the suction pressure generated by theair mover 28. The tube 46 receives the residual proppant 354 and thedust particles 264 from the catch box 140 and directs them toward themanifold 48 via the air flow 266. As described above, the manifold 48directs the air flow 266 in the air flow direction 284 toward the airmover 28 and away from the blender hopper 20.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the air mover 28 arranged at the rearend 30 of the cradle 16. As shown, the engine 52 is positioned proximatethe air mover 28 to provide operational power to generate the suctionpressure (e.g., vacuum pressure, suction force, vacuum force) thatenables the hood assembly 42 to capture the dust particles 264. Forexample, the engine 52 may be coupled to a fan that rotates via rotationof the engine 52. The air mover 28 is positioned on the skid 50 toenable movement between well sites and to optimize placement along thelength 40 of the cradle 16. For example, in the illustrated embodiment,the air mover 28 is positioned at the rear end 30. However, in otherembodiments, the air mover 28 may be positioned closer to the distal end32. It is appreciated that positioning the air mover 28 closer to thehood assembly 42 may reduce the pressure drop along the conduit 44(e.g., by shortening the length of the conduit 44), thereby reducing thestatic pressure and increasing the flow rate of the air mover 28.

As shown, the air mover 28 is coupled to the manifold 48 via the tubing70. In certain embodiments, the tubing 70 is flexible tubing (e.g.,polymer tubing, flexible metal, etc.) to simplify installation of thesystem. For example, the tubing 70 can be positioned to curve under thecradle 16 to couple to the manifold 48. Moreover, by placing the tubing70 under the cradle 16, the overall footprint of the system may bereduced at the well site 14.

FIG. 29 is a side elevation view of the air mover 28, according to anembodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, theair mover 28 is positioned on the skid 50 to elevate the air mover 28above the ground plane. The engine 52 is positioned proximate the airmover 28 (e.g., compressor, fan) and provides operational power to theair mover 28. In the illustrated embodiment, the engine 52 is a dieselpowered engine. However, in other embodiments, the engine 52 may be gaspowered or electric. The air mover 28 includes a cover 420 which isremovable to access filter elements within the air mover 28. The filterelements block dust and debris from entering the moving parts of the airmover 28, thereby improving longevity of the equipment. A duct connector422 is positioned on the air mover 28 to couple the tubing 70 betweenthe air mover 28 and the manifold 48. As shown, the duct connector 422includes a removable cover to block access to the interior workings ofthe air mover 28 when the air mover is not in use, such as duringtransportation or maintenance.

In operation, the air flow 266 travels toward the air mover 28 via theconduit 44. The filter elements are utilized to filter out the captureddust particles 264 and residual proppant 354. The air mover 28 includesa discharge 424 to remove the dust particles 264 and the residualproppant 354 from the system. As will be described below, the discharge424 can be coupled to a container to receive the dust particles 264 andthe residual proppant 354 for disposal. In the illustrated embodiment,the air mover 28 includes a controller 426 to monitor and changeoperation of the air mover 28. For example, the controller 426 mayinclude on/off switches, gauges indication operating conditions of theair mover 28, and the like. In this manner, operation of the air mover28 may be monitored and controlled to adjust the parameters of the airmover 28 to facilitate capture and removal of the dust particles 264formed proximate the blender hopper 20.

FIG. 30 is a rear elevation view of the air mover 28, according to anembodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, theengine 52 is obstructed by the air mover's compressor section. As shown,the skid 50 positions the air mover 28 above the ground plane. The ductconnector 422 extends off of a side of the air mover 28 for connectionto the manifold 48. The connection between the air mover 28 and themanifold 48 enables the air flow 266 to be generated at the hoodassembly 42, thereby facilitating removal of the dust particles 264.

FIG. 31 is a back elevation view of the air mover 28 with a wastedischarge assembly 430 coupled to the discharge 424, according to afirst embodiment of the present invention. As described, the engine 52is coupled to the air mover 28 to provide operational power. A guard 432blocks access to the coupling between the air mover 28 and the engine52. The discharge 424 extends off of the side of the air mover 28 forremoval of the dust particles 264 and residual proppant 354 collected bythe dust collection assembly 12. In the illustrated embodiment, aflexible hose 434 is coupled to the discharge to direct the dustparticles 264 and the residual proppant 354 into a drum 436. The drum436 has a removable lid 438 that blocks access to the interior of thedrum 436 when the dust particles 264 and the residual proppant 354 isbeing transferred to the drum 436. As a result, the dust particles 264are substantially confined to the drum 436 to reduce the likelihood ofexposure to operations personnel. In certain embodiments, the flexiblehose 434 and the lid 438 are coupled together such that both componentsare removed from the discharge 424 when the drum 436 is full. As aresult, the chance of exposure to the dust particles 264 when the drum436 is moved is decreased because the opening through the flexible hose434 is smaller than the opening of the drum 436.

FIG. 32 is a back elevation view of the air mover 28 and the wastedischarge 430, assembly according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention. As described above, the dust particles 264 and residualproppant 354 captured by the air mover 28 via the hood assembly 42 andthe catch box 104 is carried back to the air mover 28 via the air flow266. The captured particles are filtered out by the filter elements andremoved from the system via the discharge 424. In the illustratedembodiment, the drum 436 is positioned on a set of wheels 440 tofacilitate movement of the drum 436. The particles flow out of thedischarge 424 and into the drum 436 via the flexible hose 434.Thereafter, the drum 436 can be removed from the air mover 28, forexample, when the drum 436 is full. The wheels 440 enable easiermovement of the drum 436, thereby reducing the time period betweenchanging full drums 436 for empty drums 436.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of the proppant delivery assembly 10 andthe dust collection assembly 12 arranged at the well site 14, accordingto an embodiment of the present invention. In the illustratedembodiment, the well site 14 includes a removable floor 450 made ofwooden pallets to facilitate the use of heavy machinery, such as one ormore forklifts 452, cranes, or other hydraulic movers, for loading andunloading the containers 18 off of the trucks 454. The containers 18 arestackable in a vertical configuration such that one container 18 isstacked on top of another. By stacking the containers 18 at the wellsite 14, the overall footprint utilized by the containers 18 may bereduced, thereby maximizing the often limited space available at thewell site 14. The well site 14 further includes the blender hopper 20which receives the proppant 92 dispensed from the containers 18 via theproppant delivery assembly 10. The dust collection assembly 12 isarranged proximate the proppant delivery assembly 10 such that dustparticles 264 generated by the movement and settling of the proppant 92are captured by the dust collection assembly 12. For example, the hoodassembly 42 is coupled to the chute 24 and arranged above the blenderhopper 20. From there, the proppant 92 can be mixed with liquids (e.g.,water, fracking fluids, etc.) and injected into the wellbore 26.

While the illustrated embodiment includes the truck 454 delivering thecontainers 18 filled with fracking proppant 92, in other embodiments arailroad may be utilized to deliver the containers 18. The containers 18can be arranged in a side-by-side configuration on rail cars andunloaded from the rail cars using the forklift 452 or another hydraulicmover. Thereafter, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, thecontainers 18 can be stacked at the well site 14 until needed. Becausethe containers 18 are shipped with the proppant 92 already loaded, thecontainers 18 may remain at the well site 14 as long as necessarybecause the proppant 92 is protected from the environment via thecontainer 18. In this manner, the well site 14 may be organized forusage of the proppant delivery assembly 10 utilizing the containers 18.

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of the container 18 of the proppantdelivery system 10 being loaded onto the cradle 16 of the proppantdelivery system 10, according to an embodiment of the present invention.The forklift 452 engages slots 460 in the container 18 configured toreceive the forks of the forklift 452 for ease with movement. Theforklift 452 lifts the container 18 off of the ground plane and carriesthe container 18 toward the cradle 16. As shown, the cradle 16 includescradle sections 462 for receiving the container 18. The containers 18are arranged in a side-by-side configuration along the length 40 of thecradle 16 to facilitate movement of the proppant 92 from the containers18 to the blender hopper 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the forklift452 lifts the container 18 above the top surface 90 and then lowers thecontainer 18 onto the top surface 90 to receive and support thecontainer 18. The containers 18 align with the cradle sections 462 toposition the containers 18 over one or more actuators to enable theproppant 92 to flow out of the opening 94. In this manner, thecontainers 18 may be continuously loaded and unloaded from the cradle 16to provide proppant 92 for fracking operations.

FIG. 35 is a perspective view of the container 18 positioned on thecradle 16 and aligned with an actuator 470 of the proppant deliverysystem 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the container 18 is loweredonto the cradle section 464 to secure the container 18 to the cradle 16.The actuators 470 align with a gate 114 positioned at the bottom 96 ofthe container 18 to cover the opening 94. In operation, the actuators470 move the gate between an open position, in which the proppant 92flows out of the container 18, and a closed position, in which theproppant 92 is blocked from flowing out of the container 18. When in theopen position, the proppant 92 flows out of the container 18 and into ahopper 472 arranged below the top surface 90 of the cradle 16. Thehopper 472 includes sloped walls 474 that direct the proppant 92downward and toward the proppant mover 22. In operation, the containers18 are arranged in the side-by-side configuration along the cradle 16such that each container 18 is engaged with respective actuators 470 todrive movement of the respective gates 114 between open and closedpositions. The actuators 470 enable the containers 18 to empty theproppant 18 contained therein onto the proppant mover 22 for movementtoward the blender hopper 20.

FIG. 36 is a partial sectional view of the container 18 dispensing ontothe conveyor 122 of the proppant delivery system 10 and the dustcollection assembly 12 positioned over the blender hopper 20, accordingto an embodiment of the present invention. The container 18 ispositioned on the cradle 16 and dispensing the proppant 92 through theopening 94 at the bottom 96 of the container 18. For example, theactuator 470 moves the gate 114 to the open position to enable theproppant 92 to flow out of the container 18. The proppant 92 flowsthrough the hopper 472 and onto the top surface 120 of the proppantmover 22. In the illustrated embodiment, the proppant mover 22 is theendless conveyor 122. The conveyor 122 receives the proppant 92 andcarries it away from the containers 18 and along the inclined section126 toward the proppant chamber 144. As described above, the conveyor122 turns over at the apex 400 to direct the proppant 92 through theproppant chamber 144 and onto the chute 24 for deposition into theblender hopper 20.

As the proppant 92 is moved toward the blender hopper 20, movement andsettling may facilitate the formation of the dust particles 264. Forexample, as the proppant 92 is directed toward the proppant chamber 144,the proppant 92 may contact the sidewalls of the chamber 144, producingdust. In certain embodiments, the dust particles 264 can enter the catchbox 140 through the inlet 352. As a result, the dust particles 264 willbe contained within the system and not expelled into the atmosphere,where they can be inhaled by operations personnel.

Moreover, the dust particles 264 can form when the proppant 92 flowsthrough the chute 24 and into the blender hopper 20. For example,settling of the proppant 92 can generate dust particles 264 that enterthe air around the blender hopper 20 and can be inhaled by operationspersonnel. The hood assembly 42 is arranged over the blender hopper 20and around the chute 24 to capture the dust particles 264 and directthem toward the air mover 28. In the illustrated embodiment, dustreceptacles 174 extend through the hood assembly 42 to receive the airflow 266 generated by the air mover 28. The air flow 266 is a vacuumforce (e.g., suction pressure) that draws air from the flow path 268away from the blender hopper 20 and toward the air mover 28. The airflow 266 enters the hood assembly 42 and is directed to the tubes 46 viathe dust receptacles 166, 174, 182. The tubes 46 are coupled to themanifold 48 that directs the air flow 266 to the air mover 28, therebyremoving the dust particles 264 from the flow path 268 proximate theblender hopper 20. Accordingly, the dust particles 264 produced by themovement and settling of the proppant 92 can be captured to reduce therisk of operations personnel inhaling the dust particles 264.

FIGS. 37A-D are flow charts illustrating methods for collecting dustparticles in fracking operations according to embodiments of the presentinvention. Turning to FIG. 37A, in certain embodiments, a dust capturingmethod 500 includes delivering proppant 92 to fracking operationequipment (e.g., the blender hopper 20, the container 18, the wellbore26, etc.) via the proppant delivery assembly 10 (block 502). Forexample, the proppant 92 can be stored in the one or more containers 10and dispensed through the opening 94 in the bottom 96 of the containers18 via gravity feed along the inclined surfaces 98. In certainembodiments, the one or more containers 10 are positioned on the topsurface 90 of the cradle 16. For example, the containers 10 may bepositioned onto the top surface 90 from the vertically stackedconfiguration at the well site 14 via the forklift 452. As the proppant92 is dispensed from the containers 18, it falls onto the top surface120 of the proppant mover 22 and is carried away from the containers 18and toward the blender hopper 20.

As the proppant 92 is moved toward the blender hopper 20, dust particlesmay form due to the movement and settling of the proppant 92 on theproppant mover 22 and/or in the blender hopper 20. For example, theproppant mover 22 may carry the proppant 92 to the chute 24, whichdirects the proppant 92 into the blender hopper 20 via gravity feed. Asthe proppant 92 contacts the blender hopper 20 and/or proppant 92already in the blender hopper 20, dust particles 264 may be released andenter the air surrounding the blender hopper 20. In certain embodiments,the dust particles 264 formed by the movement and settling of theproppant 92 at the blender hopper 20 (e.g., fracking operationequipment) are captured via the air flow 266 directed in the flow path268 overlying the dust particles 264 (block 504). For example, the dustcollection assembly 12 may capture the dust particles 264 in the airflow 266. In certain embodiments, the air mover 28 produces a suctionforce (e.g., vacuum pressure) to draw the air flow 266 away from theblender hopper 20. The air flow 266 is positioned over the blenderhopper 20 via the hood assembly 42. In certain embodiments, the hoodassembly 42 includes one or more dust receptacles 166, 174, 182 todirect the air flow 266 to the conduit 44 and back to the air mover 28.That is, the proppant dust particles 264 are removed from the frackingoperation equipment (e.g., the blender hopper 20) by directing the airflow 266 away from the fracking operation equipment (block 506). Forexample, the suction force generated by the air mover 28 draws the airflow 266 up and away from the blender hopper 20 and through the dustreceptacles 166, 174, 182. The dust receptacles 166, 174, 182 arecoupled to the conduit 44 to direct the air flow 266 away from theblender hopper 20 and in the air flow direction 284. In this manner, thedust particles 264 can be removed from the fracking operation equipmentto thereby reduce the risk of operations personnel inhaling the dustparticles 264 in the air.

FIG. 37B is a flow chart illustrating the step shown in block 502 ofdelivering the proppant 92 to the fracking operation equipment. Incertain embodiments, the one or more containers 18 are positioned on thetop surface 90 of the cradle 16 (block 510). For example, the forklift452 can lift the containers 18 from the stacked configuration andtransport the containers 18 over to the cradle 16. As the containers 18are positioned on the top surface 90, they can be aligned with one ormore actuators 470 that interact with the gates 114 positioned at thebottom 96 of the containers 18. The respective gates 114 enable proppant92 to flow out of the containers 18 when in the open position and blockproppant 92 from flowing out of the containers 18 when in the closedposition. For example, to deliver the proppant 92 the gates 114 arrangedat the respective bottoms 96 of the one or more containers 18 may bemoved to the open position to enable the proppant 92 to flow out of theone or more containers 18 (block 512). In certain embodiments, theproppant 92 flowing out of the one or more containers 18 is received onthe top surface 120 of the proppant mover 22. For example, the proppantmover 22 can be the conveyor 122 that receives the proppant 92. Theproppant mover 22 is positioned below the top surface 90 to receive theproppant from the one or more containers 18 via gravity feed. As aresult, the proppant 92 can be moved away from the one or morecontainers (block 514). For example, the proppant 92 can be moved to theblender hopper 20.

FIG. 37C is a flow chart of the method step of capturing dust particles264, represented by block 504. In certain embodiments, the hood assembly42 is arranged proximate the fracking operating equipment (e.g., theblender hopper 20) to direct the air flow 266 toward the flow path 268(block 520). For example, the hood assembly 42 is arranged over theblender hopper 20 such that the capture area 190 is within the blenderhopper surface area 192. As a result, the first, second, and thirdvolumes 168, 170, 204 are closely positioned to the blender hopper 20 tofacilitate capture of the dust particles 264. The hood assembly 42 isfluidly coupled to the air mover 28 to facilitate capture of the dustparticles 48. For example, in certain embodiments, the air flow 266 isdrawn upward and through the hood assembly 42 (block 522). As describedabove, the dust receptacles 166, 174, 182 extend through the hoodassembly 42 to couple to the tubes 46 extending between the hoodassembly 42 and the manifold 48. The suction pressure generated by theair mover 28 pulls the air flow 266 through the hood assembly 42,thereby removing the air present in the flow path 268 from proximate theblender hopper 20. In this manner, dust particles 264 formed proximatethe blender hopper 20 can be captured in the hood assembly 42.

FIG. 37D is a flow chart illustrating the step shown in block 506 ofremoving the dust particles 264 from the fracking operation equipment.In certain embodiments, the conduit 44 fluidly couples the air mover 28to the hood assembly 42 to facilitate removal of the dust particles 264(block 530). For example, flexible tubing, rigid conduit, and/or thelike may be utilized to form the flow path 268 between the air mover 28and the hood assembly 42. Then, the air flow 266 is removed from thearea proximate the blender hopper 20 (block 532). For example, thesuction pressure generated by the air mover 28 draws the air flow 266through the dust receptacles 166, 174, 182 and into the conduit 44. Thatis, the air mover 28 continually applies the vacuum force at the dustreceptacles 166, 174, 182 and thereby removes at least a portion of theair in the flow path 268. The air flow 266 travels along the flow path268 to the air mover (block 534). For example, the suction pressuregenerated by the air mover 28 draws the air flow 266 along the flow path268 through the conduit 44. In certain embodiments, the air flow 266 issufficient to capture the dust particles 264 while not removing grainsof proppant 92 from the blender hopper 20. In other words, the suctionpressure is particularly selected to capture the dust particles 264 andhave a limited impact on the proppant 92. The dust particles 264 arecollected at the air mover 28 (block 536). In certain embodiments, theair mover 28 includes filter element positioned along the flow path 268to separate the dust particles 264 from the air. The dust particles 264are collected and directed toward the discharge 424. At the discharge424, one or more waste discharge assemblies 430 can be coupled to thedischarge 424 to receive the dust particles 264 collected by the airmover 28. For example, the waste discharge assembly 430 may include thedrum 436 fluidly coupled to the discharge 424 to receive the dustparticles 264. In this manner, the dust particles 264 can be collectedand removed from the system.

FIG. 38 is a flowchart of a method 540 of collecting residual proppant354 and dust particles 264 in the proppant delivery assembly 10. Asdescribed above, in certain embodiments residual proppant 354 can stayon the proppant mover 22 after the proppant mover 22 turns over at theapex 400. For example, in embodiments where the proppant mover 22 is theconveyor 122, the top surface 102 of the conveyor may flip over andbecome the lower surface 354 after the apex 400. Residual proppant mayremain on the conveyor 122, along with dust particles 264 formed as theproppant 92 is transferred to the chute 24. In certain embodiments, thecatch box 140 is positioned downstream of the fracking operationequipment between the proppant mover 22 and the fracking operationequipment (block 542). For example, the catch box 140 can be positionedon the lower surface 356 of the inclined section 126 of the proppantmover 22. The inlet 352 is positioned downstream of the apex 400 toprovide a flow path for the residual proppant 354 and the dust particles264 to enter the catch box 140. In this manner, the catch box 140catches the residual proppant 354 and dust particles 264 (block 544).For example, the catch box 140 includes an interior volume 350 having aninclined side 312 to direct the residual proppant 354 and dust particles264 downward and into the catch box 140. The residual proppant 354 anddust particles 264 are removed from the catch box 140 via the outlet 316(block 546). For example, the tubes 46 can be coupled to the outlet 316such that the air flow 266 generated by the air mover 28 also capturesthe residual proppant 354 and dust particles 264 in the catch box 140.Moreover, in embodiments where the air flow 266 is particularly selectedto be insufficient to move the residual proppant 354, the residualproppant 354 may be otherwise removed from the catch box 140. In thismanner, the risk of exposure to proppant 294 and/or the dust particles264 can be reduced.

As described above, embodiments of the present disclosure include thedust collection assembly 12 utilized to capture dust particles 265generated by the movement and settling of proppant 92. In certainembodiments, the dust collection assembly 12 positioned proximate to andat least partially coupled to the proppant delivery assembly 10. Theproppant delivery assembly 10 includes the cradle 16 for receiving andsupporting one or more containers 18 on a top surface 90. The one ormore containers 18 store proppant 92 that can be dispensed through theopening 94 at the bottom 96. As the proppant 92 flows out of the one ormore containers 18, it lands on the top surface 120 of the proppantmover 22. In certain embodiments, the proppant mover 22 is the endlessconveyor 122 that carries the proppant 92 away from the one or morecontainers 18. The conveyor 122 carries the proppant 92 to the chute 24positioned at the distal end 32 of the cradle 16 for deposition into theblender hopper 20. In certain embodiments, as the proppant 92 flows intothe blender hopper 20, dust particles 264 may be formed, which, incertain embodiments, can be inhaled by fracking operations sitepersonnel. In order to reduce the risk of inhalation, the dustcollection assembly 12 includes the hood assembly 42 coupled to thechute 24 and arranged proximate and overlying the blender hopper 20. Incertain embodiments, the hood assembly 42 includes one or more dustreceptacles 168, 174, 182 that extend through the hood assembly 42 toenable the dust particles 264 to exit the hood assembly 42 and be movedtoward the air mover 28. For example, tubes 46 couple the one or moredust receptacles 168, 174, 182 to the manifold 48 to direct the air flow266 generated by the suction pressure of the air mover 28 in the airflow direction 284. The air flow 266 captures the dust particles 264present in the flow path 268 such that at least a volume of airproximate the blender hopper 20 is removed and carried toward the airmover 28. In this manner, the dust particles 264 can be removed fromproximate the blender hopper 20 to reduce the risk of exposure tofracking site operations personnel.

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional applicationSer. No. 15/463,201, filed Mar. 20, 2017, titled “Conveyor withIntegrated Dust Collector System,” which is a continuation of U.S.Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 15/463,063, filed Mar. 20, 2017,titled “Conveyor with Integrated Dust Collector System,” which is adivisional of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 15/398,835,filed Jan. 5, 2017, titled “Conveyor with Integrated Dust CollectorSystem,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/275,377, filed Jan. 6, 2016, titled “Conveyor with Integrated DustCollector System,” all of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties.

The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention isillustrative and explanatory of the embodiments of the invention.Various changes in the details of the illustrated embodiments can bemade within the scope of the appended claims without departing from thetrue spirit of the invention. The embodiments of the present inventionshould only be limited by the following claims and their legalequivalents.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A hood assembly to direct a vacuum air flowthat removes a volume of air containing proppant dust particles after aproppant has been transported to a desired fracking operation well sitelocation from a flow path, the hood assembly comprising: a first hoodsection that substantially surrounds and receives an outlet of a chutethat directs the proppant to the desired fracking operation well sitelocation, the first hood section comprising at least one dust receptacleextending through a body of the first hood section to enable the volumeof air to exit the first hood section; a second hood section positionedadjacent the first hood section and comprising at least one dustreceptacle to receive the volume of air; and a third hood sectionpositioned adjacent the first hood section and opposite the second hoodsection, the third hood section comprising at least one dust receptacleto receive the volume of air and being substantially symmetrical to thesecond hood section about the first hood section.
 2. The hood assemblyof claim 1, wherein the second and third hood sections each comprise anopen area adjacent the respective at least one dust receptacle, therespective open areas surrounding the respective at least one dustreceptacle.
 3. The hood assembly of claim 1, comprising a curtainextending about a perimeter of the hood assembly, the curtain extendingdownward from the first, second, and third hood sections to at leastpartially define the volume of air being removed by the hood assembly.4. The hood assembly of claim 1, wherein the chute outlet is coupled toa back wall of the hood assembly, the back wall at least partiallydefining the volume of air with sidewalls and a front wall, the backwall being closer to the conveyor than the front wall.